Why Scottish starlet’s transfer to English Premier League club was ‘secret sauce’ gamble

John Nelms, the Dundee managing director, revealed some more details about the 17-year-old’s reported £300,000 transfer south of the border having not playing a minute of competitive senior football in Scotland. He was just 16 when the deal went through in August.

It was a surprise move just weeks after the player was promoted to the Premiership club’s first-team squad. Nelms admits it was a gamble to sell before gaining any benefit from the player on the pitch but that Dundee had also lost out in the past when holding on to a player too long.

Lochhead, a stylish central defender in the mold of Alan Hansen, has been involved with the Dundee Academy since the age of seven.

“We never talk about money, as you know, but Seb had an opportunity to go to a Premier League club,” Nelms explained. “His family was quite keen on it. And we thought at the time, this is the right time for him to go.

“At a very young age, you don't know what's going to happen. So we thought it would be best for the football club, best for the player and best for everybody all around that he takes the next step. There's a load of add-ons and things that go along with that. So the club will continue to benefit.

“Seb is a wonderful young man. And as he continues to develop and his career grows, the football club will be a part of that. I think there's times that we've held on to players longer than we should have, and we've learned from that.

“When is the right time to go? That's the secret sauce, isn't it? Having that understanding, there is no 100% right answer. You get it right sometimes, you get it wrong sometimes. We make the best decision that we can at the time, and that's what we've done.

“The opportunity for Seb to be at a Premier League club and really take the next step, we think that's fantastic for him.”

Lochhead, who picked up an injury shortly after joining, made his English debut on Saturday after coming on as a second-half substitute in the Wolves Under-18 side's 1-1 draw with Leeds United. 

Dundee, meanwhile, have just received the green light to build a new training ground at Riverside Drive, on the banks of the River Tay.

The project has been driven by the club's Community Trust in conjunction with Riverside West End Football Club. "For Dundee, or any club our size, I think that's paramount," he said. "That's something that (owner) Tim (Keyes) and I have always said, that we want to develop our own players." Dundee currently regularly field three academy players in the first-team - Lyall Cameron, Finn Robertson and Josh Mulligan, who are all 22-years-old.